Major water pipeline to improve flow is completed

San Vicente Dam, shown here before a major construction project to enlarge the reservoir, is a keystone of the county's water management system. On Wednesday, officials from across the region will celebrate completion of its namesake pipeline, which runs from Lakeside to Mira Mesa.

John Gibbins

San Vicente Dam, shown here before a major construction project to enlarge the reservoir, is a keystone of the county's water management system. On Wednesday, officials from across the region will celebrate completion of its namesake pipeline, which runs from Lakeside to Mira Mesa.

San Vicente Dam, shown here before a major construction project to enlarge the reservoir, is a keystone of the county's water management system. On Wednesday, officials from across the region will celebrate completion of its namesake pipeline, which runs from Lakeside to Mira Mesa. (John Gibbins)

San Vicente Pipeline -- an important link in the region's water supply chain -- has been completed, according to leaders at the San Diego County Water Authority who will celebrate the achievement Wednesday.

A regional wholesaler of water, the authority for years has been trying to improve its ability to store and move water locally in case of drought, earthquakes or other problems with imported supplies.

The 11-mile-long, 8.5-foot-diameter San Vicente Pipeline stretches from Lakeside to Mira Mesa and is designed to improve water distribution in the southern half of the county.

Authority officials said the pipeline and other components of the $1.5 billion Emergency Storage Project will help ensure the San Diego region has access to up to six months of water if supplies are disrupted.

The project has been a long time coming. In 1997, the water authority board certified an environmental report for construction of the pipeline as either a cut-and-cover trench or a tunnel. In 2001, the water authority selected a tunnel to limit the traffic and other community impacts of construction along the pipeline route.

Two years ago, the water authority started a related project -- raising the 220-foot San Vicente Dam by an additional 117 feet. At the time, it was touted as the largest dam raise in the United States.

When complete, the reservoir will be able to store an additional 152,000 acre-feet of water, enough to serve about 300,000 homes for a year. Construction is expected to be done by early 2013.